Panthers steamroll Braves

IUKA – After two weeks of success in running the ball, Amory saw a big return of its passing attack just in time to begin division play with a 60-14 road win on Friday night at Tishomingo County.
QB Jon David Poss took control of the game early, throwing TD passes of 12 and 31 yards to Devin McIntosh and Abaris Woodrick on the Panthers’ first two possessions. Poss went late into the second quarter before throwing an incompletion.
Turnovers plagued the Braves’ offense for the rest of the half. Hayden Williams picked off Tish quarterback Blake Hawkins to set up Woodrick’s 41-yard scoring run, and running back Jackson Haines fumbled earlier in the half in a drive that ended with a missed Amory field goal.
“Top to bottom, it was a good performance for us,” Amory coach Trent Hammond said. “Our offense played well, and our defense kept themselves off the field by creating turnovers. Our kids handled the kicks well.”
Amory (6-1, 1-0) would rack up another two scores before halftime with Tanner Poole catching the third scoring throw of the game from Poss, and Dario Robinson finding the end zone from 5 yards out.
“We came out and pushed the tempo,” Robinson said. “We kept their defense on their heels, and I think they ran out of gas.”
Robinson would score again on the second play of the third quarter from 12 yards out. Haines would answer for Tish County with a 38-yard run of his own, but Poss’ 17-yard scoring run on the ensuing drive put the game away to give Amory a 48-7 lead. Hawkins would add another score for the Braves on a 3-yard QB keeper.
Poss, who didn’t play most of the second half, finished the game 17 of 18 for 243 yards and 3 touchdowns. Woodrick led the way receiving with 81 yards on three catches, while Robinson had three catches for 98 yards and rushed for another 41 yards.
Tishomingo County (3-4, 0-1) hits the road to face Pontotoc next, while Amory returns home to take on Corinth, which was handed its first loss of the season Friday night by Itawamba AHS.
melissa.meador@journalinc.com